One thing I get asked a lot by folks who know me and my obsession or passion for cars, whatever you want to call it, is how I get my old cars running so well, and what can people do to get their current cars to stay on the road as long as possible. That’s the focus of this blog, where I’m going to share with you some of the tips and tricks to keeping a car at its peak performance and keeping it on the road as long as you want.

The first thing to keep in mind that the car is only so good as the driver. The way you drive is the way you treat your car, no matter how often you go to the garage. If you want your car to last, you should focus on improving your driving skills. The key is to drive smoothly and calmly without making sharp, jerky movements. That’s the big thing that puts wear and tear on your car, not so much the road conditions. Don’t brake suddenly when you can help it, and try to shift as cleanly as you can. It takes practice to be a better driver, so definitely put some effort into it. I would also say that the smoother you drive the more mileage you get from a tank of gas, so there’s a double financial incentive there. Your car lasts longer with fewer repairs, and it goes further on every gallon. So, first things first, drive better.

Second on my list is to be a maintenance stickler, which I know a lot of drivers aren’t. Unless you’re a mechanic or someone who fools around a lot in their garage, you probably don’t get involved with anything under the hood. But if you want to drive your car for years longer than normal, you have to stay on top of all of that stuff. It all starts with the fuel line. That’s the biggest thing that impacts performance. You should use a good fuel system cleaner to get your injectors spraying cleanly, and run a bottle through your tank every time you change your oil at the very least. Make sure you stay on top of your oil change schedule, make a calendar, and don’t miss check-ups at the garage. Fix things as soon as you can, and don’t let problems like rust or rattling parts build up. That’s how problems get bigger, is when you let them just sit there.

Ok, next is to be alert for odd noises, like rattles, clunks, thumps, anything out of the ordinary. No noise is too small to notice and mention to your mechanic. As I always say, it’s better to be a neurotic than a nincompoop, os pay attention to any strange sounds your car is making and get them fixed. Never ignore signs of trouble, like a wonky steering wheel or wobbly part, since they will always get worse the longer you go without fixing them.

To make sure you get the most out of your engine, I always let the engine warm up and ease into it before driving. Some people go overboard and idle for a few minutes, which is overkill, but especially when it’s cold you should let your engine run for at least 30 seconds or a minute before you start driving, and accelerate slowly to make sure it warms up evenly and doesn’t have a lot of pressure on it all at once. It’s the same principle as driving smoothly.

Last thing you want to do is check fluids like coolant and engine oil and check your tire pressure every week or two to make sure nothing starts going missing without you noticing. Some problems don’t start making noises until they’re really bad, and a dry fluid tank can be an important symptom you don’t want to miss. And for tires, you could have a slow flat that gets worse or blows on the highway, which is way more of a pain than tanking a minute with a pressure gauge to make sure everything’s on track. I also tell people who aren’t mechanically inclined that it’s a good call to get acquainted with how tire pressures work, so you can get the right pressure for the roads, which helps handling, which helps the car parts likewise.

Alright, that should do it for the key ones, let me know if you have any specific questions about how to make a certain part last longer, or whether repairs are worth it for your make and model. Cheers!

If you want your car to be running as smooth as possible, you ideally want to use a fuel system cleaner on it regularly. You’ll be surprised by how much nicer your car runs after doing so. The following is a list of some of the best fuel system cleaners that I personally recommend.

Sea Foam SF-16 Motor Treatment

Sea Foam SF-16 Motor Treatment is a best-selling fuel system cleaner and for good reasons. This cleaner is easy and simple to use, is 100 percent pure petroleum and will liquify gum and varnish deposits as well as internal engine contaminants. Additionally, it will help to solubilize moisturize that leads to corrosion or fuel line freeze-ups. If your car is starting to idle, you will see the difference after a single use of Sea Foam’s SF-16 Motor Treatment. Your car will be as powerful as the first day you drove it off the lot.

Lucas Oil 10512 Deep Clean Fuel System Cleaner

Lucas Oil’s 10512 Deep Clean Fuel System Cleaner is a great product that will solve any of your fuel injection system problems. This fuel system cleaner makes several claims such as the ability to greatly reduce harmful nitrous oxide emissions, the ability to remove carbon depots, the elimination of any knocking and/or pinging, as well as the ability to raise your vehicle’s mileage and overall performance. This fuel system cleaner will eliminate any of your problems and have your car running back to normal.

Chevron 65740 Techron Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner

Chevron 65740 Techron Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner is the cleaner you want to use if optimizing your mpg is your goal. This fuel system cleaner is designed to clean, restore, and protect your entire fuel system, including the fuel injectors, carburetors, intake valves, and combustion chambers. As such, it will restore any loss of power and acceleration as well as the operation of the fuel gauge sensor. It will reduce any rough idling, engine surges, hesitation, and spark plug fouling. It will also improve your vehicle’s cold start performance and fuel stability for supposedly up to one year. There is no other product like it.

Red Line (60103) Complete SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner

Red LIne’s Complete SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner is one of the most cost effective cleaners currently on the market. This fuel system cleaner claims to clean to nearly 100 percent efficiency in just a single treatment, and though it recommends using one bottle per tank in order to gain optimal benefits, you can easily get away with using less, meaning you get even more bang for your buck. After using Red LIne’s Complete SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner, you will definitely be able to tell the difference in your car’s performance.

Royal Purple 11722 Max-Clean Fuel System Cleaner and Stabilizer

What makes Royal Purple 11722 Max-Clean Fuel System Cleaner and Stabilizer unique is its 3-in-1 fuel additive which will greatly enhance your vehicle’s performance. This fuel system cleaner makes many similar claims to the others such as the ability to prevent rough idling, hesitation and stalling in your vehicle. Additionally, it makes the claim of ability to improve fuel economy, increase horsepower, and reduce hydrocarbon, NOx, and CO emissions. This cleaner is highly versatile, meaning it can work on gasoline and diesel engines.

Check out these trustworthy, real reviews of the best diesel fuel injector cleaners.

BG 44K Fuel System Cleaner

BG 44K Fuel System Cleaner is like magic in a bottle, especially if you are dealing with issues of build up. This fuel system cleaner is designed to remove upper engine deposits and reduce any problems related to deposit build-up such as engine surge, stalling, stumble, hesitation, and power loss. Additionally, it is marketed as being able to clean up coked fuel injectors and any corrosive deposits on your fuel sending unit. BG 44K will work quickly and take care of any of these related issues.